Next time you’re visiting Auckland, don’t limit yourself to the urban areas – New Zealand’s largest city is surrounded by off-the-beaten-track destinations that are well worth a look. This morning, I headed southeast and after a drive of less than 45 minutes from downtown Auckland I arrived at the cute little village of Whitford.
With all the [...]
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In New Zealand, the morning of 25 April always starts early for many. Today is ANZAC Day, the day on which New Zealanders commemorate the anniversary of the 1915 landing of New Zealand and Australian troops at Gallipoli during the First World War and pay homage to all those who have served in war efforts [...]
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If you’re a traveller who doesn’t fancy the self-catering option, preferring instead to let the experts do the cooking – you’ll love Auckland! New Zealand’s biggest city is blessed with a huge variety of fabulous restaurants, from laid-back cafés to fine dining, scattered across the city. You’ll find rich concentrations of excellent eateries in a [...]
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Driving up to Northland yesterday I tried out the Northern Gateway Toll Road for the first time. In other countries toll roads are pretty standard, but for us Kiwis it’s a bit of a novelty because this is the only public toll road in New Zealand. In fact, when the road first opened a couple [...]
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Tonight we’re heading into the city to check out the Auckland Lantern Festival. It officially started at 5:30pm, but we wait until after dark before joining what seems like half of Auckland on a mission to see the Lantern Festival in Albert Park.
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Where did you spend Waitangi Day? For many Kiwis, the annual public holiday meant a long weekend and a great opportunity to escape to the beach or the lake – and the weather was certainly superb for such things – but Mum and Dad were visiting Auckland so we stayed in the city.
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If you’re looking for entertainment in Auckland on a Sunday afternoon in summer, head up to the Domain for a luxuriously leisurely jazz session under the trees. From January through to the end of March, you can catch free jazz performances from 2pm to 4pm at the Band Rotunda in the gorgeous surrounds of Auckland’s [...]
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Sailboats dot the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland on a beautiful Sunday afternoon – but there’ll be a lot more of them tomorrow! Monday 26 January 2009 is Auckland Anniversary Day and in the ‘City of Sails’ that means the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta. The first Auckland Regatta was held on the day the city was [...]
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Ever wanted to watch the dissection of a Great White Shark? If so, now you can … and apparently you’re not the only one! Today the Auckland Museum held a public dissection of a 3-metre long Great White Shark, drawing a crowd of almost 4,000 fascinated onlookers. Great White Sharks are a protected species in [...]
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This weekend in Auckland the sun was shining, the roses were blooming and hundreds turned out to celebrate the Parnell Festival of Roses ‘08. The annual event grows in popularity every year and this weekend it featured the first ever Parnell Hill Sprint – a gut-busting cycle sprint up Parnell Rise, the suburb’s hip café-lined [...]
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